Alternative Education: Intro to Waldorf Education

Ever heard of Waldorf Education? 

I'm very interested in Waldorf Education and after reading a great book written by a teacher and social worker, Simplicity Parenting. This is an alternative school to public schools, but I just use some of the philosophy in combination with my other thoughts and ideas.

So this post is about my thoughts about this Waldorf Education approach. But first I thought I'd start with this funny list...

You Might Be a Waldorf Mama/Papa If You... (I'm going to keep adding to this, btw)

• think there is no such thing as boredom
• have an insatiable appetite for learning and growth
• love rocks, trees, dirt, etc. more than something you can buy in a store
• gardening is essential for your children to learn
• love simple experiments using what you can find in nature
• don't own a tv
• think learning is a holistic endeavor (with their head, heart, hands, etc.)
• find you eat, dress, do...according to the seasons
• the "calendar in your head" comes to mind from one holiday to the next
• think play time may have an inverse relationship to toy quantity (deep play with one)
• your toy shelf does not look like toy store's shelves at Christmas time, but rather has a few simple favorites: something homemade, wood blocks, etc.
• think teaching your 7 year old child to knit is as important as teaching him or her to read
• think imagination is the fuel of greatness and are ok with gnomes and fairies

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So, What is Waldorf Education?

Wiki-pedia says... (click link to read more details, and I've added a few of my notes below too)

Waldorf (Steiner) education is a humanistic approach to pedagogy based on the educational philosophy of the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner. Waldorf education is the largest independent alternative education movement in the world.^[6] In central Europe, where most of the schools are located,^[1] the Waldorf approach has achieved general acceptance as a model of alternative education.^[7][8] Waldorf education has influenced mainstream education in Europe^[9] and Waldorf schools and teacher training programs are funded through the state in many European countries. 

Public funding of Waldorf schools in some English speaking countries has been controversial, with questions being raised about the role of religious and spiritual content in or underlying the curriculum, and whether the science curriculum, which has achieved notable results, also includes pseudoscience and/or promotes homeopathy.  

The first Waldorf school was founded in 1919 in Stuttgart, Germany. At present there are 1,026 independent Waldorf schools,^[1] 2,000 kindergartens^[2] and 646 centers for special education,^[3] located in 60 countries. There are also Waldorf-based state schools,^[4] charter schools and academies, and homeschooling^[5]environments.

The educational philosophy's overarching goal is to develop free, morally responsible, and integrated individuals equipped with a high degree of social competence. Teachers generally use formative (qualitative) rather than summative (quantitative) assessment methods (which means no letter grades), particularly in the pre-adolescent years. The schools have a high degree of autonomy to decide how best to construct their curricula and govern themselves. The approach stresses the role of the imagination in learning and places a strong value on integrating academic, practical and artistic pursuits.

The developmental approach used in the Waldorf schools is designed to awaken – and ideally balance – the "physical, behavioral, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual" aspects of the developing person,^[28] developing thinking that includes a creative as well as an analytic component.^[28]:28 A 2005 overview of research studies suggested that Waldorf schools successfully develop "creative, social and other capabilities important in the holistic growth of the person," but that more research is needed to confirm the generally small scale studies conducted to date.^[28]:39

Three broad stages in child development: (though there are sub-stages too)

1. The early years (0-7) children primarily learn through empathy, imitating their environment, and Waldorf pre-schools and kindergartens therefore stimulate pupils' desire to engage with the world by offering a range of practical activities.^[33] The educator's task is to present worthwhile models of action.^[11]:389 Children are also given daily opportunities for creative, imaginative play.^[34] The early years education seeks to imbue the child with a sense that the world is good.^[35]
2. Second Stage (7-14) children primarily learn through presentations and activities appealing to their feelings and imagination. Story-telling and artistic work are used to convey and depict academic content so students can connect more deeply with the subject matter. The educator's task is to present a role model children will naturally want to follow, gaining authority through fostering rapport. The elementary years education seeks to imbue children with a sense that the world is beautiful.^[35]
3. Third Stage (14+) children primarily learn through their own thinking and judgment.^[36] They are asked to understand abstract material and are expected to have sufficient foundation and maturity to form conclusions using their own judgment.^[11]:391 The secondary years education seeks to imbue children with a sense that the world is true.^[35]

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Here is another lady's list she compiled that I took note of from a lecture I heard:

Top 10 Benefits of Waldorf Education

1. Nurtures Whole Child
2. Multi-cultural, World
3. Learn through arts: stories, songs, nature, etc.
4. Curriculum follows child's development (7 year cycle)
5. Gives rhythm and rituals
6. Prepares child for Life and life-skills (not just career/job-specific areas)
7. Fosters individuality, independence and problem-solving
8. Creates a sense of personal and social responsibility
9. Elevates confidence and self-esteem
10. Creates love for learning
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Here is a video introduction about it.

Things I've noticed they do:

• celebrate other cultures, holidays and festivals as a major part of their curriculum
• value nature: eat whole foods, use raw materials to make crafts and for their environment, even gardening as class "work"/play and using outdoor classroom time regularly
• feel rhythm is important in how they celebrate seasons and in daily routines so there is flow
• emphasize virtues and positive character attributes
• value community and sharing
• use story and song in everything to bring life and animation to what could be mundane in public school
• teachers continue with their students through the grades 1-8 to grow together
• don't teach letters and math the same way: letters come later and more as an art, while math is taught as whole-to-part (frequently with division and multiplication right along with addition and subtraction--seems more holistic and totally makes sense--from an intuitive math-lover like me!)
• encourage imagination and rarely have exact crafts to imitate
• there are no textbooks. Students create their own Main Lesson Books of learning to summarize concepts for themselves.



example of main lesson book page: Student summarizes and artistically represents lesson  from wiws.org

I found this great curriculum chart if you want to get a feel for how they break down learning by stage...


Other Posts about Waldorf:
Why Waldorf Works: from a Neuroscientific Perspective
14 Ways to Incorporate Waldorf into you Home
Waldorf Fosters Multiple Intelligences

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If you think you're interested, there is a Utah Waldorf facebook group where like minded people can learn from each other. And a Waldorf Utah Homeschoolers, if you are in Utah. People post helpful information, waldorf blogs, etc. or you can ask questions there. They also share and create local events for homeschoolers or community members varying from festivals, to story-telling conferences, to farm tours, to basket weaving classes, etc. It is not just for those that attend Waldorf groups/schools. And they are currently getting a charter to open an official school in Utah in 2016 for those that don't homeschool. Help join the effort, or at least find out more. 

Alternative Educational Approach: Thomas Jefferson Education (TJed)

I’ve read a few great books about alternative educational philosophies. I’ve compiled some of my thoughts from this last book I read. (I will then post thoughts on the Waldorf Philosophy and another separate post of a comparison/summary of the two.) So, beware, my notes are choppy. The comparison post will be more polished.

Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching A Generation of Leaders…

by Oliver DeMille

KEY:

Excerpts from the book

Other peoples' quotes from book

My Thoughts

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The Essential Question in my mind:

Is the education we are receiving on par with our potential?

Every person you have ever met is a genius.

And greatness is the purpose of each of us.

Two types of teachers: mentors (present) and classic (past)
- Teacher get students attention and starts them on the way and involves them Deeply. Students puts in the work to educate themselves.

Three major types of schooling
1. Conveyor belt education
2. professional education
3. leadership education: inspires self-education and ability to think for themselves, based on character

Thomas Jefferson Education Model is Leadership Education

And I would add that so is the Waldorf Method, from a more creative/intuitive approach, but that is another post...

“Teaching, like farming and healing, is a cooperative art. Understanding this, Comenius in The Great Didactic again and again compares the cultivation of the mind with the cultivation of the field; so, too, Plato compares the teacher’s art with the physician’s.”

“…only when teachers realize that the principal cause of learning that occurs in a student is the activity of the student’s own mind do they assume the role of the cooperative artists. While the activity of the learner’s mind is the principal cause of all learning, it is not the sole cause. Here the teacher steps in as a secondary and cooperative cause.”

“Like the farmer and the physician, the teacher must be sensitive to the natural process that his art should help bring to its fullest fruition – the natural process of learning. It is the nature of human learning that determines the strategy and the tactics of teaching.” 

– Mortimer J. Adler -

Individualized Education Phases

1. Core phase (0-8 years of age): Happy, interactive, confident child naturally playing and working in family setting. The meaning of tasks gains context through experiences with a rich learning environment.
2. Love of learning phase (8-12ish):  Play at projects and skills which build understanding. Involvement is exploratory and interest driven With time to allow personal expression without negative feedback.
3. Scholar phase (puberty/12-16): Readiness to apply greater level of effort to personal and academic achievement through a process of commitment and accountability.  Defined responsibilities that are agreed upon. Exposure to variety of materials and ideas in the spirit of passion and excitement for learning. A time to work hard at learning because you love it and to ponder, think, read, write,  listen, debate, analyze and learn. It is the time to lose yourself in study.
4. Depths phase (16-22): Profound hunger to prepare for on-coming responsibilities and future contributions in society. To acknowledge limitations both personal and in current mentoring arrangement, and to submit to expectations of a mentor at a new and higher level. To network with those who are mission-oriented and involves the challenge of having your grand ideas revealed to be limited or ineffectual with the opportunity for exposure to peers with new and thought-provoking solutions to age-old problems. it is the ideal combination for the years of earlier training and must be individualized.

"Since learning is essentially a process of discovery the teachers Art consists largely in devices whereby one individual can help another to lift himself up from a state of knowing and understanding less to knowing and understanding more. left to his own devices the learner would not get very far unless he asked himself questions, perceived problems to be solved, suffered puzzlement over dilemmas, put himself under the necessity of following out the implications of this Hypothesis or that, made observations and weighted the evidence for alternative hypotheses."

- Mortimer j Adler -

Thomas Jefferson Education Basic Tenets:

1. classics and mentors
2. depth and breadth
3. quality and application

No education is complete or even particularly valuable unless the student uses what he or she has learned to serve the community, family, society, and God.

A good mentor is someone of high moral character who is more advanced than the student and can guide his or her learning

Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.

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Seven keys of great teaching or mentoring

1. Classics not textbooks: Bible, Shakespeare, etc.
2. Mentors not professors
3. Inspire, not require: Force in learning dampens the passion, kills the spirit and destroys the zest and life of learning. Force trains followers not leaders. Inspiring is finding out what the students need and then creatively encouraging them to engage it on their own with excitement and interest
4. Structure time, not content
5. Quality, not conformity
6. Simplicity, not complexity (Read, write, Do projects, discuss--not quick to point out answers or personal feelings....explore)
7. You, not them (Mentors set the example and are continually learning and pushing themselves. They commit to study and ponder think about it and pay their own price in studying along with.

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Teaching Parable: Baby Learning to Walk

1. Observe
2. Walk and smile: Try and have mini successes
3. Totter and look alarmed: run into difficulties and get worried
4. Fall and cry:  Fail and feel bad
5. Start over again

Mentors' roles

1. Smile throughout
2. Shower advice
3. Warn
4. Encourage
5. Praise
6. Most importantly...set the example

The Mentor who shares her love for learning and willingness to submit to the labor that is the process of acquiring mastery will communicate the value of persevering through difficulties and trusting that ignorance and confusion must ultimately give way to knowledge and understanding.

You were born with potential.

you were born with goodness and trust.

you were born with ideals and dream.

you were born with greatness.

you were born with wings.

you are not meant for crawling, so don't.

you have wings.

Learn to use them and fly.

-Rumi-

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In Summary:

“A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them. The simpleton never looks and suffers the consequences.” 

- Proverbs 27:12 -

Our Educational system has a problem...is the problem. Too many cooks in the kitchen trying to decide what our children need to learn and how to do that. There are tons of alternative educations out there that are worth exploring.

After reading much, I have come to view my children’s’ education as needing at least these three things:

•  Inspires students to think for themselves
• Based on good and true principles/values
• Encourages their individual greatness (aka God-given potential/talents)

All types of education will change if parents lead the charge. 

What can you do as a parent to help truly educate your children? (regardless of whether or not you homeschool, charter school, public education, etc.)

Mindfulness Without Meditation

I heard a fabulous talk at an LDS Holistic Living Conference by Vern Cox about how to be mindful without having to spend hours meditating. Basically he said the outcome of meditation is to focus, so we have to clear ourselves from distractions.

Here are my notes:

Top Benefits of Meditation
1. Improved Body Regulation/Control (balanced fight vs. flight reactions so body doesn't react so easily to stress)
2. Attuned Communication: two people feel they are both being understood by each other
3. Improved emotional balance (not so many extremes)
4. Response Flexibility: not stuck with one response, but being able to choose from a variety of responses
5. Increased Empathy
6. Better Insight: ability to connect with past, link to present and how it may influence future
7. Better Fear Regulation
8. Enhanced Intuition: being aware of input from internal organs (heart, lungs, intestines, etc.) and other body sensations--body's wisdom/deep way of knowing. Our integration center of bodytakes this input and then influences our reasons and reactions.
9. Greater Sense of Morality: how our actions influence others

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Now let's explain some things...

Emotion: the meaning we give to an event (emotions don't have a life of their own, but are tied to our reactions to new events). The action/urge that results is then how we deal with that meaning (not the emotion itself).

We first consciously create meaning as we have a new experience, but then we store those meanings into our internal storage bank (let's say our heart, though not literally)--and tend to categorize these meanings into general areas--which then become a habit pattern which we react to unconsciously when we repeat similar experiences to that first one. This allows us to have an auto-pilot of sorts (which is helpful for repetitive things that don't sap our energy, but not for situations we don't react well to which can re-emerge often if not taken care of). If we need to change bad habit patterns, we need to change first in our head and hearts to break those initial meanings we gave those experiences.

Principle: Meaning determines emotion
Be careful with how you judge and give labels to things, people, events. 

Tips for Moving Forward:

• allow your brain to have time to tell you things it is trying to tell you--make time to sit still and let them come--instead of running around and keeping yourself to busy to listen (to yourself or others). Acknowledge them, then organize them as needed. Pen and paper to write essential ones to prioritize.
• don't judge self for having distractions by trying to force your brain to shut off--or it will get use to shutting off. All of your history is important, but acknowledge which ones are self-defeating, negative, and try to change them. Judgmental-ness is always in the past--and you will close up/prepare for fight or flight/muscles tense/blood pressure increases--therefore your brain switches from the front/thinking part of your brain to the rear/storage part (where all your previous habit patterns were stored)
• be open (honest with yourself), accepting, loving and even curious to new opportunities, people, events (within reason) and don't try to guess and calculate too much. If you feel you have some degree of uncertainty--that you don't already know everything--you are more humble and willing and easy to be taught. Therefore your frontal brain/creative part will be more active and engaged, rather than the rear, patterned, logical part habitually taking over).
• live in the present. This doesn't mean to ignore the past. But the past doesn't mean it's fact, so take it as input, not truth. Instead, value present situations for what they are, without being devalued by the past, or other's perspectives. Be objective in the present.
• imperturbability: try to live without feeling perturbed or irritated
• read scriptures daily write personal thoughts and notes each time (to develop greater focus)
• pray regularly (i like kneeling away from my bed--so I can't lean--or I get lazy in my thoughts)
• write things down: to help brain let go of thoughts and feelings, official or not (journal or outline to teach--in teaching/sharing we retain more info and learn more deeply. So approach learning with that frame of mind/accountability)

Principle:
Pure in Heart: When our emotions and impulses are Christlike


"Blessed are the Pure in Heart, for they shall see God" Matthew 5:8

As we seek to become a little better and a little more grateful let's  first look in our hearts and find those habit patterns that don't uplift and encourage and help us reach our Divine potential. Then we can greater see God's hand in our lives...and gratitude can fill our hearts with His love. Let's seek for the pure love of Christ, even Charity--the greatest of all gifts (moroni 7).

Home Pharmacy 101

Hippocrates said "Let food be your medicine." And that's how I feel we should approach healing our bodies. Start with a good diet and supplement your diet with plants/herbs in other ways. After reading this great little book, (My Home Pharmacy, Tracy Gibbs) I've outlined some essentials for our own home pharmacies.

Here is a list of the 5 main, simple ways to use herbs:

1. Teas
Liquid solutions of plants (we only use herbal infusions instead of actual tea leaves)

• Infusion: pour boiling water over herb and let steep about 10 minutes (leaves and flowers)
• Dedoction: boil for 20-30 minutes and simmer for 10 minutes (hard woody plants)

2. Tinctures
Concentrated extracts of plants (like "pickling" them)

• alcoholic: generally vodka or something similar
• non-alcoholic: glycerin or vinegar (we use these, instead of alcoholic versions)

3. Oils

• essential oils: distilled, volatile plant oils (concentrated; extracted with specialized equipment)
• carrier oils: solvents used to draw out active chemicals in plants. Herb or essential oils are typically combined in these to dilute potency and for applying on body via massage oil, balm or salve, soap, etc. (ex: extra virgin, cold-pressed olive oil, grapeseed oil, etc.--the least processed is the best.)
• herbal oils: like herbal infusions, but put fresh leaves in carrier oil in glass jar completely covered and closed tightly so no air gets in. Let sit somewhere sunny for at least 2 weeks, then strain and keep indefinitely. (If the fresh herbs inside are exposed to any air then they get moldy, so be careful.)

4. Salves and Lip Balms
For rubbing easily onto skin/lips/etc. In order to make your own, melt on low in a double boiler. Check consistency by dipping wooden spoon in--add more oil to make it softer or beeswax for harder. Add essential oils at the end. Place in dark glass jars away from light.

• Salve: 1/4 cup beeswax to 1 cup oil (herbal oil or carrier oil). 
• Lip Balm: 3:2:1 is a rough ratio (carrier oil, cocoa/shea butter, beeswax)

5. Poultices
Warm, moist mass of powdered or cut herbs applied directly to external wounds (burns, cuts, inflammation, rashes, bites, infections, etc.).

• Decoction: dip cotton into luke warm decoction and place on wound
• Paste: crush or grind fresh herbs and add water/olive oil/alcohol to form paste; apply on wound and cover with warm cloth or gauze and tie/tape in place

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List of most common fresh Herbs to treat most common ailments:
* antibiotic
** antifungal
***antiviral
**** dieuretics
***** relaxants

garlic*/**/***
oregano*
ginger root**/****/*****
cayenne pepper (stops bleeding)
dandelion roots****
lemongrass*/***/****
echinacea*
sage**/***
peppermint*****
aloe vera****
rose hips (high in vitamin C)
cinnamon
raw honey
lemons or limes
rosemary**
chamomile*****

Tips for Boosting Memory

This is a good little video with some learning tips to improve memory retention. It's the same thing I learned from a speaker at the LDSholistic Living conference I hosted for last summer. So since I saw it twice, I thought I'd actually post the helpful hints. This one is from www.kwicklearning.com.

Here's the acronym he says to remember when trying to learn:

FAST
F - Focus/Forget (be in the moment, focused on what you are learning--or the person you are talking to, if you hope to remember their name. Forget everything else going on around it....all those needed thoughts will still be there when you're done, but you net to let go of other thoughts to focus on the one needful one at hand.)
A - Active (keep your learning active. Don't just stare blankly and absorb, but look intently, keep your mind engaged with postivity and a desire to get something valuable out of the experience)
S - State (sit or stand in the state you would normally do if you were fully focused and excited about what you are learning. You definitely would be in a lethargic state if what you were learning was super exciting)
T - Take Notes (capture facts and words, then create/apply. Make have two columns or have symbols)

I personally use boxes with various symbols in them for the create part that I indicate in the left margin. I like using check marks for a goal I decide to make, ? for questioned posed or that I have now, I draw a little open book for scripture verse that goes along with it, quote marks for a quote, etc.

It doesn't matter what ways you use to take note, as long as the system works for you. So make sure you have a system that helps you categorize and place what you are hearing and applying. If you're not a systems person, maybe this can help you be more of one.

--
He also did an exercise to memorize 10 keys to overcome information overload: boosting brain power to learn quicker.

1.  Diet
2.  Killing ANTS (Automatic negative thoughts)
3.  Exercise
3.  Brain Nutrients
5.  Positive Peers (friends)
6.  Clean environments
7.  Sleep
8.  Brain protection
9.  New learning
10.Stress management

Memory deals with location. So he tells us how to memorize these 10 points listed above by giving them visual location and a connection of walking to each of them.

So imagine going for a walk in your house and find ten different places/objects in your house you walk to in a certain order (ex: start at bed in bedroom and then go to hallway, and then downstairs, etc.). Close your eyes and visualize going from one spot to the next spot. Then give each location an object or action associated with the ten points you are memorizing (ex: for diet, you could imagine a plant on your bedroom (which was the first location). Then do the walk again with the points associated. Then do the exercise again backwards.With each piece of information in a familiar surrounding you should be able to recall each piece of info, and in any order.

This is how I memorize things, but not normally so intense of an exercise. But I will start doing this exercise more for poems I want to memorize and such. The speaker I heard at the conference said his little boy memorized all his 100 lines of a play in one day using this method. Pretty cool, huh?

He summarizes our ability to learn quicker and have greater clarity in our mind as being better for our health and better for making it through trials and vice versa because we can focus on the essentials we are thinking about at that moment and set trials aside for more important needs.

Other points to consider:
1. Knowledge is potential Power: Use what you learn
2. Use location method to place info - Use the 10 points above
3. Questions are the Answer. Question the information you come across: Do you need it? Is it truth, fact, theory, gossip?

Gratitude quotes

What are you grateful for today?
There is always something to be grateful for if you stop and look.
"Be still and know that I am God." (Psalms 46:10, D&C 101:16)

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"We tend to forget the happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather recognizing and appreciating what we do have." - Fredrick Keonig

"In daily life, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy." - David Steiner-Rast

"Let us be grateful to people that make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." - Marcel Proust

"We underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment or the smallest act of caring. All of which have the potential to turn a heart around." Leo Buscaglia

"A simple grateful thought turned heavenwards is the perfect prayer." Doris Lessing

"If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed. Because most people can, but won't."

"Begin each day with a grateful heart."

Gratitude: a day in the life...

I was talking with Charise tonight about something we both seem to have been thinking a lot about recently: love or acceptance.

As I think about the books I've been reading lately, which subjects include the structure of water, doctrine of yoga, natural healing, homeschooling, an autobiography, etc., I find two common themes in them all: gratitude and love. I think these two words must be the greatest of all. In fact, we've just recently implemented our Sunday night family prayer as a gratitude prayer and we just say things we are grateful for. This is Ethan's favorite prayer time of the whole week...especially when we say it popcorn style. Heh. 

So let me share my thoughts that led to this decision and about why gratitude is so important....

I am reminded of two important scriptures:

1. This is the greatest commandment, to love The Lord thy God with all thine heart, might, mind and strength. And the second is like Unto to it; to love others as thyself.

First off...if we love God with our ALL, then we acknowledge His character/divine attributes (omniscient, omnipresent, all merciful and loving, unchanging, just, etc.) and trust those attributes wholly. This means we are humble. We bend our will to his to show that trust. We gratefully acknowledge him in our life and seek to act on his words/truth. If we love him, we love his words and we act on them with purely honest motives.

So...let me share with you a beautiful word I have introduced to Ethan. On the mornings that we do yoga (which is basically Ethan mimicking objects and animals and thinking it is great fun) we always say this special word: namaste.

Namaste. It means, "my spirit greets your spirit." Why is this so beautiful? Well, I love that this one word summarizes an eternal perspective on our individual makeup. We are spirit beings having a mortal experience. We aren't just little peons trying to take baby steps into becoming an adult. Our spirits are eternal and we are trying to uncover that divine within us that is already there. So when we can acknowledge others spirits with our spirit we are in essence saying "you're amazing. It's an honor to be with you." 

Isn't that real gratitude? A celebration of each individual and their gifts? And that last part is an  important part: acknowledging both the giver and the gift. I think our society has limited gratitude to mere words "thank you," but it is so much more than that.

BTW, I know i have been guilty of not being super grateful, and honestly, i am just coming to an awareness of the power of a heart filled with profound gratitude. I hope to change and develop this essential attribute more, so i ask for patience as i try. But I am finding that real gratitude comes most easily when we keep this eternal perspective in our minds and don't limit our perspective (judge others) with physical, emotional or intellectual earthly limitations on eternal spiritual beings. 

So, let me share a few other words I feel are related to gratitude:

to acknowledge, show appreciation for, give attention to, thank, accept an offering, to reciprocate, etc. (can you think of others?)

Now, with those other words in mind, let me share an example of how gratitude might express itself during a typical day....

Action/moment: Wake up. 

Gratitude: a simple prayer-thought...It's a beautiful day and I slept we'll.

Giver: God, the creator of heaven and earth.

Action/moment: Breakfast

Gratitude: Formal prayer or blessing on the food.

Giver: God, the supplier of all our needs. The sustainer.

Action/moment: children--playing in the family room or trying to talk to you.

Gratitude: making time to take them one by one and giving them your full attention--stare them in the eyes and hold their hands. Tell them how special they are and acknowledge a divine attribute within them. Give a little hug.

Giver: the child gives you who they are on a daily basis. This may seem a passive giving of a gift, but nonetheless it is a reality that they give effort in saying hi to you or showing you something they are proud of, and acknolwedging that effort is showing gratitude for it, for who they are. That is important to remember and cultivate those good eternal attributes. We just have to weed out the earthly influences and temperaments that try to cover up their eternal identity they are trying to unearth. And as we focus on their positive attributes, the negatives lose sway.

Action/moment: going for a walk

Gratitude: wanting to capture nature' beauty by drawing it or writing a poem

Giver: God. Again, the creator of all things.

Action/moment: friend calls on the phone

Gratitude: answering with a heart happy to hear,  ready to listen. Acknowledge the person before talking about tasks. Think about their spirit and deeper needs.

Action/moment: Husband: home from work

Gratitude: hug and genuine "tell me about your day" before rattling off about my day. Sit with undivided attention and try to see his day from his point of view. Acknowledge his frustrations with words or body language. 

Action/moment: studying scriptures

Gratitude: taking. Moment to write down thoughts that stand out and to reflect and or pray for deeper understanding/relevance

Giver: God, the giver of truth and light. The revealer of our potential.

These are just a few examples in a day, but they all take effort. Gratitude involves giving of self. It is an offering, a sacrifice. And your offerings will always be filled in greater measure than what you gave, by one who sustains us as we serve others. He is the source of living water--which quenches our thirst and fills all our needs.

....and now, after all that, here's the second scripture...

2. ...Praise Him through grace.

How do you praise god through grace, which is something that only he can offer? I'll tell you how: qualify for grace. As we make effort to sincerely express love and gratitude with pure motives (expecting nothing in return and free from judgments)  he can't help but bless us in return with good things and pour down his spirit and grace upon us. He fills our life with light, truth, joy as we joyfully live in his light and truth.

And then there this other scripture: 'this better to give than to receive. Could this be because as we give we receive even more?  Our effort to show gratitude fills us with love and therefore we are more grateful and loving. Wow. What a joyful cycle we shouldn't mind getting caught in. Don't you think?

And it all starts with having gratitude. So how are you going to show your gratitude in each day of your life? In each of your roles? What are you willing to offer Him in return for pure Joy and love?

If our pure motive is to love God above all else and put him first in all things (above worldly priorities, earthly worries, physical concerns, social pressures, etc) then everything we do will be defined by that love. We won't teach, command, talk to others in terms of force, guilt, fear, pity; but rather we will listen, counsel, accept in open and honest offerings of love and gratitude.

May our hearts be full of thanks, our hands willing to help, our mouths ready to uplift, our ears ever attentive, our eyes seeking earnestly and our minds quietly still and ever focused, as we pray earnestly for charity--the pure love of Christ--to fill our hearts so that we can have the discernment, faith and discipline to give our attention to and acceptance of all things and people--great and small.

Let us have a gratitude attitude toward all givers of good gifts. Rejoicing in all things and knowing that everything good comes from the Ultimate Giver of Good gifts.

Goodreads: A Day in the Life of a Minimalist

My friend got this kindle book free (it's currently $1 on their website) and told me it was a good read. I read it within a few days. It's a compilation of short essays on various ways to minimize and get rid of the superfluous in our lives. This ranges from your wardrobe to your kitchen, to your book or toy shelves to your shopping and finances, even relationships and media. He had some graeat down-to-earth ideas. I found it refreshing and have since cleared out 5 boxes of things for D.I. that I realized I'm just not using or needing.

I think of minimalism as modern day Amish to some extent. Amish don't bring any extraneous tools/things into their lives that they can relatively do well without. However, they will add tools that add significantly to their ability to live and provide (ex: a simple plow that will help them do a great amount of work that would otherwise take forever). So in essence, what I got from reading these essays is a deeper appreciation for simplifying what we have and have intention behind what we do and meaning behind what we choose to bring into our lives.

The author tells of various experiments he's tried in going without certain items: cell phone, laptop (which he said is impossible for him, but at least now he understands why he has it and can set ground rules for it's needed use), shopping for things other than basic food needs, etc. I think it's a great idea to go through things you have in various areas and get rid of things you don't need or use. Try to buy things that accomplish a variety of purposes instead of a one-time only use. And try experimenting what things you might be able to do with. (I know Cooleys are without a microwave and have fared just fine. We too are now going that route.) There's always the car...try to only drive it once or twice a week and lump as much as you can together in one outing. Or your cell phone: try only using it during certain periods and turning off facebook and email notifications that interrupt your daily life and impose their urgency on you.

He also poses questions throughout that make you think. What if you could live with only your ten favorite books or 10 favorite photos. and why do we have them all. (It's also mentioned to digitize many things and get rid of clutter which is very helpful).

There's a lot more in the books that is fun to think about. I definitely think it worth the $1! So "splurge" and have some fun reading. Try what you like and ignore what you don't. Why not?

*On a personal side note: I think being a minimalst spiritually is also a healthy, good way to live. If we can get rid the what's unnecessary and worrisome or burdensome in our lives and just keep what is happy and edifying without the heavy weight, then our lives will be more joy-filled and light. Isn't this what Christ's atonement is for--to empower us to let go of things weighing us down and to lift us to our eternal and divine potential.

Healthy Child, Healthy World

Love this video and website!
This website is fantastic for people trying to make little steps towards being healthier and more green!
So click on their website and find topics and subtopics which show simple information and ways to improve your health and home in numerous ways!

http://healthychild.org/healthy-living/

6 Ways to Prevent Cancer in Your Home

Natural Ways to Treat Sunburns

Here's a cool picture of sunburn and melanin, fyi...

Here are some ideas for Homemade ways to treat sunburns...

• Aloe Vera. When it comes to sunburns, most people reach for the aloe vera. It’s the most common natural remedy for burned skin and not to mention…a super easy to maintain house plant.
• Lavender essential oil. This is my favorite remedy for burns. Lavender essential oilsnot only relieves sunburn, but they may also prevent peeling. Find high quality-grade lavender essential oils by clicking here…
• Yogurt. Spread yogurt on your burned skin to help cool and heal. Your best bet is to use full-fat, plain, unsweetened yogurt. Let the yogurt stay on the skin until it warms then rinse off.
• Vinegar. Load apple cider vinegar into a spray bottle, store in the fridge, then spray it on your burn. Is there anything vinegar can’t do!?!
• Tea. Make a pot of strong tea and then use a piece of cloth soaked in the tea by applying it to the sunburn area. You could also make a tea bath and soak in the tub. It’s actually the tannins in tea that help to soothe the burn and heal the skin.
• Potato peels. A vintage remedy for sunburns mentioned in tons of old writings is potato peels. They provide much needed moisture…additionally, they carry natural anti-bacterial properties that aid in healing.
• Cucumber. Try applying thin slices (or a puree) of cold cucumbers directly to the affected area.

Or you can try this recipe (which I plan to tweak using essential oils and such, but haven't gotten to it yet.)

After Sun Spray Recipe

Ingredients* Use organic ingredients whenever possible.

• 2 fl. oz. (60 ml) aloe vera
• 1 fl. oz. (30 ml) lavender hydrosol (flower water)
• 1 fl. oz. (30 ml) peppermint hydrosol (flower water)
• 0.25 fl. oz. (7.5 ml) vegetable glycerin
• 15 drops lavender essential oils
• 5 drops carrot seed essential oils
• 2-3 drops peppermint essential oils, optional
• 10 drops non-GMO vitamin E oil, optional

Method

1. Add all ingredients to a glass mason jar.
2. Shake jar vigorously to mix.
3. Pour mixture into a 4 ounce mister bottle.
4. Label bottle with name, contents, and date
5. Shelf stable for 1-2 years, depending of quality of raw materials used.

http://frugallysustainable.com/2013/05/how-to-treat-sunburn-naturally-at-home-a-recipe-for-an-after-sun-spray/

10 Uses for Epsom Salts

Katie at The Wellness Mama made a list of her top uses for Epsom Salt so I thought I'd add some of those ideas under these basic categories...


For Your Body

1.  Bath or Foot Soak (good for aches) – Add at least 1 cup of epsom salt to a warm bath and soak for 20 minutes. Optional: Add a few drops of essential oil to salt before adding to water.
2. Splinter Removal- Soak in concentrated epsom salt water to pull out a splinter.
3. Volumizing Hair Mask- Combine equal parts of conditioner and epsom salt and leave on hair for 20 minutes. Rinse well and let air dry for thicker hair.
4. Laxative- For occasional constipation, a teaspoon of epsom salt dissolved in water can help. Check with a doctor first.
5. Smooth skin- Mix 1/2 cup epsom salt with 1/4 cup olive oil and scrub skin in the shower for healthy and smooth skin. Add a pinch of epsom salt to your usual face cleaner or a skin exfoliating magnesium boost
6. Itchy Skin, Bug Bites, Sunburn Relief- Dissolve a tablespoon of epsom salt in to 1/2 cup of water and cool. Spritz on itchy skin or apply a wet compress to help relieve itching.

For Your Garden

1. Better Plants- Help house plants grow by adding a couple tablespoons of epsom salt to the water when you water them. A Tablespoon of Epson Salt to the soil below the plant is especially good for tomatoes and roses. 
2. Get rid of slugs- Have slugs in your garden or on your patio? Sprinkle epsom salt to deter them.
3. Soil Prep- Before planting, we add a few bags of epsom salt to the soil in the garden and water in to help replenish soil magnesium levels.

For Your Home

1. Tile/Grout Cleaner- Mix equal parts of liquid dish soap and epsom salts and use to scrub tile and grout. Rinse well for a streak free shine.

Make a Change: Start a Petition

I found this website when I was signing a petition for something.

www.change.org/

It's awesome! You can create your own petitions for change....anything you believe in and want to get signatures for. Small. Big. Whatever! So I pinned it. But I wanted to share it on my blog too, so any of you can see where to go. It's a convenient way to digitally get your petition out there and share it through social networks and such...much faster than paper and pens walking the neighborhood.

So...find something you want to change and use this tool to make it happen (no...I am not advertising or getting anything for this. Just thought it was cool and wanted to make it accessible). :)